Rhone Rangers honor Haas

Tablas Creek Founder Robert Haas will be awarded the Rhone Rangers lifetime achievement award during the Rhone Rangers annual gala April 5 in San Francisco.

Tablas Creek founder Robert Haas, 86, has not slowed down one iota since attempting — in vain — to retire more than two decades ago. Energetic, prolific and always looking at the whole picture, you can find Haas is in the vineyard nearly every day, cogs turning ever so steadily.

“He started Tablas Creek in his 60s, theoretically, as a retirement project; He is constitutionally incapable of retiring,” said son and Tablas Creek General Manager Jason Haas with a chuckle. “He is incredibly dynamic and willing to experiment, and still comes up with more new and good ideas than anyone I have ever worked with.”

The Rhone Rangers recently announced Haas as their 2014 Rhone Rangers Lifetime Achievement Award honoree. The accolade marks the second-ever of its kind to be awarded by the national organization: The first went to Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyard, of whom the phrase “Rhone Ranger” was first coined. Haas will receive the award on April 5 at the Rhone Rangers annual gala held in San Francisco.

“The fact that this award would go to my father is really a recognition of the impact that Tablas Creek’s arrival in Paso has had on Paso Robles, but also the Rhone community in general,” said Jason. “That community is huge. There are 280 wineries in Paso Robles and 250 of them are doing work, at least in part, with Rhone varieties; there are more than 1,000 [Rhone wineries in California.”